Menu Galore

Feeding Gabe is so darned hard. I had hoped that since he didn't want to drink much milk, perhaps he would be very ready and eager for solids. How wrong I was. Breakfast is a tough job with all the singing n playing. Lunch is even harder coz at first he was kinda OK starting out, even eating 80-100ml. Then past week, nope he screamed on one occasion and ate like 30-40ml most of the times.

So perhaps i thought he needed more variety. He's been having salmon, sweet potato, chicken and carrots mainly. So i came up with a flexi menu :-

Base:
1) Chicken + sweet potato
2) Fish + pumpkin

The idea is to alternate between these 2 every 2 days or so. So, in case he gets bored i prepared 4 different sides to add-in to give it new flavor:

Sides:
a) apples
b) carrots
c) broccoli (i doubt he'll like this, so in case, i got cheddar cheese to add)
d) pumpkin

Breakfast choices:
Base: Cereal
Sides:
1) apple + cranberries
2) banana + cinnamon
3) papaya

I know, I know, crazy right? I can't help it, i just want him to try eat more, so whatever it takes i'll try it. I don't want to wait until his weight starts to fall then only try find ways to get it back up. Already, it's increasing so little. Just want him to be a chubby healthy baby. So all this preparation, well it's tiring, but i try to prepare all in 1 day, so for the whole week he has enough to go round.

Ughhh....can't think what i'll serve next week. Too tired to think now. Haven't had straight 5 hrs sleep past 2 weeks. Baby has been fussing.

Bananas + cinnamon; Papaya; Apple + Cranberry

Apples; Broccoli; Carrots

Salmon Sweet potato porridge which he seems to love best

Let's hope he appreciates my effort huh? Eat Gabe, Eat...

Me No Like Blueberry Mummy

Gabe went for another doc check today, weight gain very little, he weighs 6.51kg now, just a little increase from last week, but at least it went up, not down..Dr H says he looks good, just monitor feeds and keep introducing solids more to him. Only way he's gonna get more nutrition since he doesn't drink much. Let's hope next month his weight gain is more, yah Gabe?

Fed him brekkie today...urgghhhh bad one...didn't eat more than few teaspoon when usually he eats like 60ml (4tbspn)...it was cereal with blueberry apple puree...he's fine with banana apple so i guess it's the blueberries that's ticking him off...ok baby no more blueberry then...anyway they suck coz they leave stains...

Some random pics of the naughty boy playing. By the way this week has been tough...wakes several times in the night especially at 2.30-4am to play!! Or rather he has hard time falling asleep, doesn't want to drink too...sigh...rough...especially since I seem to have a hard time falling asleep and when i do, he wakes...Dr H says quite alot of babies go through this phase n it'll get better...yeah it better....Momma's going crazy soon.

Clever Boy!!

This morning's breakfast was good. Gabe managed to finish all his cereal. Today's menu is 1.5tbspn cereal with 4 tbspn apple banana puree with 40ml milk....though it was hard work coz I had to sing n play the whole time to distract him. As you can see from the pics, he has alot of toys to play with, by that i meant the company chops, Terry and my personal chops, a ruler, a remote control and his bunny shoe....and post its. By the end of the meal, bunny's soles had to be cleaned, my post its too, and poor ruler as well...sighhh...

But i'm happy with this progress since milk intake not improving much. Yippee!!! Next hurdle is today's lunch, which he refused to touch yesterday, so cross my fingers. Lunch menu: salmon puree with sweet potato and tofu. Yum Yum...

Starting Solids

Ok...past 2 weeks i have been feeling worried so much so i couldn't sleep well. Gabe was not drinking his usual amount of milk and it kept getting worse. It was already worrying with his below average amount, but when it dropped to about 480ml, i panicked and everyday was a struggle to feed him, which i now realise that i was wrong to force feed him....in the end i called Dr H and he says that since Gabe does not have any signs of fever, cough or flu and is still very much active and smiling, we just need to monitor and if it does not improve we see him on 21st March.

Gabe has only stared cereal in the mornings because he doesn't want to drink milk first thing he gets up at 7am, so i thought maybe solids would entice him...hmm...not much appetite still, though it has improved with him taking a few tablespoons of cereal with fruit puree. I think perhaps he's just not a brekkie person? Is there such a thing????

Anyway i did bring Gabe to see Dr H and the ECG n heart checks were OK, so his poor feeding was not due to lack of oxygen or his heart condition. In the end, Dr H advised me to change my feeding habits. Only feed Gabe when he asks for milk eg Demand feeding. But i asked what if Gabe does not want to drink for like say 5-6 hours? Dr H says then so be it, but highly unlikely. And to push Gabe to eat more solids starting with 2 meals a day, breakfast n lunch. If he does manage to eat solids, then current milk intake of 450-550ml is reasonable and enough.

So past week, we've started lunch feeds and it's getting better i think..his daily diet is porridge with fish/meat and veggies since he has fruits in the morning already.....i think he likes his salmon, pumpkin n carrot porridge better than the chicken, sweet potato n carrot one.....and he does not like yogurt...he does the shivering thingy..coz it's sour i guess....cottage cheese, nope he doesn't like it as well...

So far foods he's OK to: pumpkin, apple with bananas, sweet potato, avocado. Gonna start trying yogurt again this time with much more fruit puree....

Next week on the 28th there's another check up so let's hope Gabe puts on more weight...his weight was only 6.45kg last week compared to 6.25kg on the 28th Feb....so he didn't put on much....sigh..no turkey thighs yet...

Dun i Look Handsome?

Ok, we had a successful weekend...by that i mean Gabe has finally gotten his much needed haircut. We went to the salon just outside our apartment in Sangenjaya. Charged us JPY 1,500...that's like SGD23....i think quite reasonable huh?

well the outcome i have to say was good, much better than what i expected. Terry says it is very nice. Oh well, i'm just happy no more shrub...yay!!!


Snip, Snip, Snip....

Tahhhhh Dahhhh.....................The Final outcome...

Now...all we need is to get Daddy a haircut...

Umm....Mummy, u hoping i turn into a girl?

Ok....weekend is coming again n i still have not cut Gabe's hair. I think partly also scared of what the outcome will be so trying to think it all in my head how best to cut..so, his hair is even more bush-like now, sometimes reaching his eyes. Today decided to experiment a lil since we had tons of time at home. I kinda like the hairstyles, n how cute he looks with the clips n bands. Loo like little girl??? U be the judge:)

Also, realised i haven't taken many pics with Gabe, so here are some of me n Baby

It's Friday tomorrow, soon the weekend will be here n Gabe will be super happy coz he gets to go kai kai, where he gets carried all day in the carrier till Mummy's shoulders feel like breaking.

Hopefully i'll find the courage to cut his hair, huh?...till next, Happy Happy Weekend everyone

What to Expect When You're (NOT) Expecting

Feeling abit nostalgic today...remembering this period last year, perhaps also due to the March 11th tsunami that hit Japan. I was about 6 months preggers then, when it happened. We were at Yokohama in a steel structure office on the 2nd level when it shook violently and we had to hide under the table holding the edges. For a moment i thought the structure would definitely collapse. Thank God it didn't though it was a great scare and what was to follow was chaos and us running to Osaka and further south. Who knew i'd ever experience a strong earthquake. Not expecting it..

Also didn't expect motherhood to turn out the way it has, heck even my entire pregnancy wasn't expected. The weak bladder, swollen feet, pimples...NOT exactly thrilling.

And then the birth of Gabe. Traumatic. Heart breaking. Tears. Feeling of hopelessness coupled with an exhausting cycle of pumping, feeding, hospital visits, operations. Didn't expect motherhood to be so tough. Thought i'd breeze through it like a champion.

I think today it also just hit me hard coz we went to the disabled center to register Gabe for therapy. We spoke to one of the officers who took our details and told us that we are to visit them again on 20th April to let a doctor and some therapists perform some tests on Gabe to see which level of disability he has. What his strengths and weaknesses are so they can create an appropriate therapy program for him...I guess seeing some of the disabled people there and knowing that Gabe's intensive therapy will begin soon just shook my awareness level, that this will be a big part of Gabe's life from now on.

It's funny how before all this, we hear about Downs Syndrome, we know there are plenty of disabled people around...but well, we never gave a damn. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against them then. It's just that we pass them by not blinking an eye. Never asking much or finding out much. But here I am today IN a disability center, TALKING to someone to prepare my son for therapy soon. So funny how life turns out sometime huh? How aware now I am when i am walking or outside and i pass by a disabled child, curious to know what he has....how he/she coped. How perhaps the future will be for them and for Gabe. How scared sometimes I am for Gabe. How i panic over his drinking problems and weight issues and developmental issues. How i expected that my child would be like any other child, crawling and sitting by now. But then, life's unexpected right? Someone should have written a book on how to deal with the unexpected....

It's also the stress i am feeling with Gabe not drinking well past week. How his doc appointment is end month. But....i also didn't expect to be blessed with such an adorable baby, a really smiley smiley one with tons of hair and such a loving nature. Dun get Mummy wrong Gabe, i DO NOT regret having you. Mummy's just thinking back, that's all.

So here we go, you have to work hard Gabe. WE have to work hard.

Bunny is Gone....Forever

Umm, ok Xiao-Yi....we're very sorry but we have some sad news to break to ya....somehow along our walk to the car, with Gabe swinging his legs really hard (coz he's happy to be out)..we've lost one side of the cute lil rabbit shoes u got for Gabe for Xmas....so now...all we're left with is this.....

See, poor Gabe has only 1 side of it..he's really sad...i tink.

But the bright side is ....yay we still have 1 side!!! Err...tink u can get another side? If not well we'll just keep it and Gabe will play with it...new toy!! We're truly sorry we even traced back our steps n tried to find it, but nope...bunny gone....

Past week we've been bringing Gabe out quite abit, going kai kai n he following me to supermarkets n stuff. He's so happy n it shows. I carry him in the Baby Bjorn facing outward n he makes loads of noise, sometimes very very loud..means he's super happy...n legs swing like crazy...see, here he is in stroller, looking all duper happy, he loves the cold weather...n cold wind

Oh yes, been wanting to upload tis photo...it's of his operation wound...they did it under his armpit...healing well:)

And..tis is lil boy finding a new use for his play station...tastes yummy too from what i saw of his saliva all over the legs.

And nowadays when u put him anywhere, tis is prob how he ends up being..half here half there

His hair is super long huh? Time to cut...will DIY...wish him luck...